Ingredients With Global Flair

By: Sara Mason

From its beginnings, the Neydharting Moor’s mud has been sought after for its perceived healing powers. Formed at the base of an Austrian valley, one of Europe’s most fertile, the mud came to be prized as a beauty therapy, and European nobility built villas and spas on the moor’s shores. “Other moors exist, but nothing compares to the geophysical phenomenon known as the Neydharting Moor,” says founder Dennis Johnson, PhD, of Botanika Research Labs.

The botanically rich body of water was formed out of nonporous glacial rock and was protected from outside influences, creating an unusual environment filled with hundreds of herbs, botanicals and flowers.

Johnson worked for years with the Neydharting Moor clinic and the family that owns it, developing a relationship before beginning a business partnership for sole exclusive rights when nobody else had been able to. “Their vision is one of healing,” says Johnson. “With our brand, we can spread the effect and benefit of what they do.”

With exclusive rights to a unique habitat with a rare mixture of active plant properties, Neydharting Moor Skin & Body Care has a definite hook for its brand identity. But the success comes from the product’s proven results. “Our best clients are sophisticated—beauty and brains,” says Johnson. “They recognize the efficacy immediately. That’s how our brand grows.”

The Neydharting Moor peat and water contain more than 1,000 naturally sourced botanicals, herbs and nutrients—300 of which have been shown to have anti-aging properties. “The peat is composed of naturally occurring antioxidants, enzymes, herbs, botanicals and humic substances, all blended by nature, with a low molecular weight,” says Johnson. “It’s so pure, it can be consumed internally.”

Formulated in Austria right at the moor, the brand includes face and body lines, with the core of every product being the Neydharting Moor peat and water, forming the “mud.”

Research has shown the effects go beyond the peat itself, helping to heighten the efficacy of the other ingredients within the formulations. Combining naturally occurring botanicals with scientifically advanced peptides that activate collagen synthesis, the products provide relaxation of wrinkles without irritating the skin. They also calm, soothe, balance and clarify the skin. “Each product is naturally composed from a blend of bio-minerals, trace elements, herbs and phytonutrients that can’t be duplicated by technology,” says Johnson. “We put unique, propriety ingredients perfected by nature in a form that people can use.”

As a leading European spa skin care brand, Neydharting Moor Skin & Body Care is no secret. Rooms at the Moorbad Neydharting Healing Clinic in Austria, where the products are used, are booked more than two years in advance. “If you had to sum it up in one word, it’s ‘results’, ” says Johnson. “All we have to do is put the product in the hands of consumers and we’ve already won them over.”

The brand began retailing in Austria and South Africa at top spas, as well as online, and made its U.S. debut summer 2012. In fact, announcements are expected to come soon about partnerships with prestige U.S. luxury retailers. Next, the brand plans to expand further into both North America and South America.

Consistency and Adaptability

Global brands also must respect local needs, wants and tastes. These brands adapt to consumer needs in the marketplace while delivering a consistent experience and identity that’s been developed over time.

“Most ingredients found within the formulations of AmorePacific products translate to all markets, especially since we make a consistent effort to satisfy the demands of the global market,” says Bradley Horowitz, president and CEO of AmorePacific North America. “We are putting more dollars into R&D to deliver what the consumer wants, and the cosmetics industry demands innovation.”

The AmorePacific philosophy is that Asian botanical plants hold the secret to total wellness and natural beauty. Its products combine beauty with science and health, and feature Asian botanicals—including green tea with EGCG, naturally high in vitamin E and touted as one of the most powerful antioxidants in the world.

AmorePacific only uses green tea plants harvested from its own green tea gardens on Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea, creating a sustainable and green environment. The protected gardens are nourished by fresh spring water and mineral-rich volcanic soil, the ideal conditions in which to grow green tea. AmorePacific is one of the only beauty companies to grow and harvest its own green tea, meticulously harvesting the vital parts of the green tea plant at the peak of optimal potency at specific times of the day and year to ensure the highest level of efficiency.

By regionally sourcing its own ingredients, AmorePacific ensures to its consumers that it takes the highest level of care in its cultivation process, presenting only the finest quality ingredients to promise the purity and potency of its ingredients from planting to purchase. For more than half a century, AmorePacific has developed major skin care products and continues to work to meet the highest standards of health and beauty, demonstrated by the company’s establishment of its own research laboratory in 1954—among the first in the South Korean beauty industry.